Spring Grass Book'Emhttps://springgrassbookem.org
educational books & quality fiction for U.S. prisonersSat, 17 Mar 2018 12:52:02 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngSpring Grass Book'Emhttps://springgrassbookem.org
Prisoner-Plaintiff Responds to Retaliation with Hunger Strikehttps://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/prisoner-plaintiff-responds-to-retaliation-with-hunger-strike/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/prisoner-plaintiff-responds-to-retaliation-with-hunger-strike/#respondSun, 24 Aug 2014 13:11:46 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/prisoner-plaintiff-responds-to-retaliation-with-hunger-strike/Prison Books Collective: In the summer of 2012, a prisoner who had been repeatedly beaten with impunity by guards at Central Prison’s notorious Unit One began a lawsuit against the prison and against NC DPS. This lawsuit soon expanded to become a class action with seven other prisoners who had had similar…]]>

The Internationalist Prison Books Collective does a lot of really great things for imprisoned human beings, including publishing booklets and spreading news which is often suppressed and not widely known.

In the summer of 2012, a prisoner who had been repeatedly beaten with impunity by guards at Central Prison’s notorious Unit One began a lawsuit against the prison and against NC DPS.

This lawsuit soon expanded to become a class action with seven other prisoners who had had similar experiences at the same segregation unit. In particular, guards were known for taking prisoners to “the desert,” a camera-less area of the facility, to beat them. Serious injuries occurred.

Now, one of those prisoners, Stanley Corbett, Jr., has reported to us by letter that he is being retaliated against by the guards at Warren CI in Manson, NC, to which he was transferred after beginning the lawsuit.

Retaliation has included censorship of mail, denial of medical treatment, and urine in his food.

Corbett has announced that on Monday, August 25th, he will begin a hunger strike until such retaliation ends.

]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/prisoner-plaintiff-responds-to-retaliation-with-hunger-strike/feed/0springgrassbookemWe moved …https://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/we-moved/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/we-moved/#respondSun, 24 Aug 2014 13:06:43 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=7Continue reading →]]>We have moved into a huge old house in Pittsburgh, and I am scraping old paint off 12-foot ceilings and spackling plaster and painting so I can get this prison book program out of storage! The pipes were stolen so we have no bathroom or running water yet. Can you help us with this problem or with plastering the big holes where chandeliers and mantels were stolen? Also, each room needs to be re-wired, and the badly leaking roof needs replaced. Where oh where is the Book’Em angel?

The good news is that finally our program/ministry will be on the first floor and dry, not in a wet moldly basement! The walls and ceilings of our library/workroom will be sky blue, with white clouds on the ceiling, and a few rainbows flashing around the walls from prisms hung in the windows. Sound good? And our office will have a room across the hall which will keep paper clutter out of the way.

We are thousands of book orders behind, and need postage–at least $3 per package. We welcome new volunteers Kay and Chrissy and anyone else willing to volunteer at this worthwhile endeavor!

–Rosemary rcat32@gmail.com 412-251-7302

]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2014/08/24/we-moved/feed/0springgrassbookemTwo New Letters from Prisonershttps://springgrassbookem.org/2013/11/03/two-new-letters-from-prisoners/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/11/03/two-new-letters-from-prisoners/#respondSun, 03 Nov 2013 03:16:44 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=95Continue reading →]]>“Dear Book’Em;
My respectful salutations to everyone concerned for us lost and forgotten souls … May this request find you well.
My name is Caesar, am presently incarcerated here at D.V.I. in Tracy, California … I am into martial arts – namely Muay-Thai kickboxing – mixed self defense techniques. I’d grately appreciate anything you may have available please. We are permitted 3 books; but whatever you may have will do. Thank you so very much. Anything will be appreciated …”
Respectfully;
Caesar Escobar #AM5039 California

“Thank you For your Time my name is John Guerrero Jr. and I would like new or used
books paper back cause Im in prison. I enjoy reading anything by Debra Dier Danielle Steel James Patterson Anything will be much appreciated.
Sorry I spilled coffee on the papper and Im doing bad in here Im broke and have nothing. So whatever you can do is much appreciated.”
Thank You
John Guerrero Jr #AR0928

***BOOK’EM is happy to send each of these men a nice book package right away, with both fiction AND nonfiction, along with a friendly note and some of our homemade colorful bookmarks. And we even have some Steel books available. Patterson does not get sent because of the violence, however. We have many quality fiction books by other authors to choose from, including the classics. Also, we make some photocopied books of interesting things, which they can have if their present prison allows photocopies.

I am an indigent inmate here on the Allred unit. I am currently participating in self-litigation for an aggravated excessive use of force with a serious injury in the District Court Wichita County Texas 78th Judicial District (cause no. 173,737B) because I have no money to hire a lawyer. I am in Ad-Seg at this time and do not have meaningful access to the unit’s law library. The mailroom allows used books, hardcover books and sets a 5 book limit on incoming packages. I want to thank all of you who volunteer to donate these much needed book to us in this unfortunate position. I appreciate your self-less service on my behalf. The following is a list of my requests in order of preference with additional subjects in case legal/educational material is not available:

Thank you oh so very much for your most recent donation of books. I don’t recall if I mentioned this but I am in solitary and spend 23-24 hours a day in my cell. Without books I would go insane. So I owe you my undying gratitude. Thank you for your love and donations. All of you volunteers are wonderful selfless people and I am grateful for all of you. God bless every last one of you.

I just read a awesome book called Forbidden History by J. Douglas Kenyon and it has given me a desire to learn more about anthropology. There is a large bibliography at the end…and even though I know your stock is limited here are some specific books I am interested in:

Forbidden History sure wetted my appetite for more information about prehistory civilizations like the Maya, Atlanteans, Egyptians etc…that we have yet to figure out and that includes ancient India too. …

Again thank you for your selfless service.

Sincerely Kyle Dillon #1268995 Texas

“Dear Book ‘Em People,

I would like to thank you for the books you sent me, I really am enjoying them, they were perfect picks.

Your friend, Cora Allo #WA9472

“Greetings, I wanted to thank you for sending me the Almanac, magazine and book. I get no mail or anything like that so when I received the Books I was very surprised, even though the Almanac was a 2008 Im having a hard time putting it down. Thank you again.

Respectfully Eric Collins #E95721 California

“To Whom it may concern:

Greetins to all! My name is Mr. Rashell Clarke. I am presently incarcerated here at Corcoran State Prison.

I am a reformist and a person of self change! My hopes are to use my cell as a classroom and a sanctuary. My interest are to learn more about how your project works. I also would like to find a way to assist or become more involved with your cause. …Would you happen to have any books with in these subject matters: 1) Creating a video game development company, 2)Win friends and influence people, 3)Writing business proposals, 4) Writing books and novels, 5)Public speaking, 6) Script Writing. …In advance, thank you for your assistance. Sincerely your advocate.

Mr. Rashell Clarke #AB4250

“Dear Folks,

First and foremost I would like to thank you for providing this service for us.

I’m looking to better my life, so that when I’m released I will be able to have a better life. In saying this I’m looking for Business based books, more specific how to start a business, Self help on Business, About Marketing I think you got the idea.

Would like to thank you in Advance for whatever you can send, Thank you.”

Sincerely, Oscar Gonzalez #086373 Florida

“Dear Book’Em,

Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate all that you do for prisoners and the United States.

I work in the education department at Wakulla Work Camp. The resources we have are very limited, and I’m writing you to ask for math, reading, and language books for our school. Would you please send us a GED essay writing book, a GED math book, and a GED reading book? If you have any math, reading, or language books in Spanish we could really use them. Please. “

Sincerely, Stephen Dugan #C00650 Florida

]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/07/21/a-prisoner-discovers-anthropology-other-testimonials/feed/0springgrassbookemA Red Letter Day at Spring Grass Book’Emhttps://springgrassbookem.org/2013/07/21/a-red-letter-day-at-spring-grass-bookem/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/07/21/a-red-letter-day-at-spring-grass-bookem/#respondSun, 21 Jul 2013 03:41:57 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=71Continue reading →]]>It certainly felt great to order 70 used dictionaries online…then they started rolling in! It was fantastic when a box of 13 dictionaries came on Wednesday, and we could stack them on the worktable and look through recent letters to find inmates who need dictionaries. We had also sent out dictionary postcards in which we informed inmates from the last couple years that we now had some dictionaries coming in, thanks to the generosity of a small church grant of $400. There’s still a little money left, and we’re not going to order from Abe Books online again, but directly from used bookstores in hopes of making our dollars go farther. Sadly, there will still be hundreds of inmates who have to go without dictionaries…so if you want to have some fun, why don’t you go around to flea markets and thrift stores to buy used dictionaries of all conditions and all languages, and surprise us with a box of them sometime? We are at 1301 Davis Avenue, Pittsburgh.PA 15212.
]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/07/21/a-red-letter-day-at-spring-grass-bookem/feed/0springgrassbookemOur Web Page in Progress…https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/19/our-web-page-in-progress/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/19/our-web-page-in-progress/#respondWed, 19 Jun 2013 12:53:52 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=10Continue reading →]]>We are still working on our web page, longing for a computer geek to show us the way! Please bear with us while our site is still under construction. We also want to share with you some of the wonderful testimonial letters we get from prisoners in a blog called From the Inside Looking Out, as well as some of their artwork and poetry and writing in a gallery on this site. And photos of some volunteers and of our library!
]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/19/our-web-page-in-progress/feed/0springgrassbookemWe volunteers are Rosemary, Helen, Red, Kathy, John,https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/09/we-volunteers-are-rosemary-helen-red-kathy-john/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/09/we-volunteers-are-rosemary-helen-red-kathy-john/#respondSun, 09 Jun 2013 02:05:38 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=29Continue reading →]]>We volunteers are Rosemary, Helen, Red, Kathy, John, Sandy, Ray, Kim, Jackie, Elva, Lisa, Sue, Jim & others. Spring Grass Book’Em–a project of The Big Idea Book Store and now a ministry of an Episcopal church–has been sending educational books, magazines, and quality fiction to U.S. prisoners for years, and we LOVE to do it and inmates love to receive’em, judging by the tens of thousands of letters they have sent us since the year 2000. They are so polite and grateful! We serve them all, insofar as we have money for postage, and the books are usually passed around so that a book may eventually be read hundreds or thousands of times.

And which book is most popular in prison?–the DICTIONARY!–because a person cannot learn from or enjoy a book if they don’t know enough of the words. Prisoners also love almanacs & books of facts (including encyclopedia)–along with every other kind of book there is–history, science, English & all foreign languages, math at all levels, psychology & self-help (especially relationships), law, religion, philosophy & ethics, nature, jobs, how to start a business, trade skills (carpentry, car repair, plumbing, wiring, roofing, heating and air-conditioning), lawns and gardening, farming, real estate, investing, film, art history & drawing, writing, music, beginning reading and GED study books, linguistics, fiction and the classics, biographies and autobiographies, Native Americans, Hispanic culture, Afro-American culture, grant-writing, large-print, knitting & crocheting, chess & puzzles, etc.

Magazines sent include National Geographic, Smithsonian, Photography, Popular Science & Popular Mechanics, & Outdoors, Men’s Journal, Ebony, Native Americas and others. We’d love to have subscriptions to Ms. and Reader’s Digest. Most reading matter is donated or bought from thrift stores and library sales, although we wish we could afford to buy certain requested books online because they are worthy requests.

Many people who are behind bars do not have any money and do not get mail from family, and they often feel that books from us are a miracle–it feels like love to them, that some people “on the outside” actually care about incarcerated men and women, and will spend money to help inmates educate themselves and stay sane. And sometimes we send birthday cards and holiday cards too, as time and funds allow. And a few of us volunteers are pen pals to some prisoners, with more pen pals greatly needed.

WHY is our program necessary when prison libraries exist? Because many inmates are not allowed to go to the library at all because they’re on lockdown, in solitary or on death row—and they’re the ones who may need it most! And one prison library is a pile of books in the bottom of a broom closet, open only once a week for half an hour. And, inmates say, some libraries are full of junk fiction, with little educational and nonfiction for the motivated. Other prison libraries are very good, perhaps, but some are closed because there’s no money for a librarian. So our books-to-prisoners group is really needed–and YOU are needed too, as are donations for postage, dictionaries and other expenses like packing tape, a desktop computer and printer and a photocopier.

Donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE thanks to our being adopted as a ministry by the small All Saints Brighton Heights Episcopal Church, with free space and utilities donated by an even smaller church, Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church. Spring Grass Book’Em has been supported the previous three years by a very dedicated disabled veteran, a retired school teacher, and a senior citizen, but many prisoners’ book orders remain unfilled due to lack of postage. This is where YOU can make a difference! Please help us to help them; there’s so much more we could do if we had funding and decent equipment!

All that is necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for enough good people to do nothing….

]]>https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/09/all-that-is-nec/feed/0springgrassbookemWelcome to Pittsburgh’s national books-to-prisoners website and blog!https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/05/welcome-to-pittsburghs-national-books-to-prisoners-website-and-blog/
https://springgrassbookem.org/2013/06/05/welcome-to-pittsburghs-national-books-to-prisoners-website-and-blog/#respondWed, 05 Jun 2013 03:25:02 +0000http://springgrassbookem.org/?p=2Continue reading →]]>Spring Grass Book’Em–a project of The Big Idea Book Store–has been sending educational books, magazines, and quality fiction to U.S. prisoners for years, and we LOVE to do it and inmates love to receive’em, judging by the tens of thousands of letters they have sent us since the year 2000. They are so polite and grateful! We serve them all, insofar as we have money for postage, and the books are usually passed around so that a book may eventually be read hundreds and thousands of times.

And which book is most popular in prison?…the dictionary!…because a person cannot learn from or enjoy a book if they don’t know enough of the words. Prisoners also like almanacs & books of facts (including encyclopedia)–along with every other kind of book there is–history, science, English & all foreign languages, math at all levels, psychology & self-help (especially relationships), law, religion, philosophy & ethics, nature, jobs, how to start a business, trade skills (carpentry, car repair, plumbing, wiring, roofing, heating and air-conditioning), lawns and gardening, farming, real estate, investing, film, art history & drawing, writing, music, beginning reading and GED study books, linguistics, fiction and the classics, biographies and autobiographies, Native Americans, grant-writing, large-print, knitting & crocheting, chess & puzzles, etc. Magazines sent include National Geographic, Smithsonian, Photography, Popular Science & Popular Mechanics, & Outdoors, Men’s Journal and others. Most reading matter is donated or bought from thrift stores and library sales, although we wish we could afford to buy certain requested books online because they are worthy requests.

Many people who are behind bars do not have any money and do not get mail from family, and they often feel that books from us are a miracle–it feels like love to them, that some people “on the outside” actually care about prisoners and spend money to help them educate themselves and stay sane. And when we help a prisoner, we also help his family and our society!

WHY is our program necessary when prison libraries exist? Because many inmates are not allowed to go to the library at all because they’re on lockdown, in solitary or on death row. And at least one prison library is a pile of books in the bottom of a broom closet, open only once a week for half an hour. Some libraries are full of junk fiction, with little educational and nonfiction for the motivated. Other prison libraries are very good, perhaps, but some are closed because there’s no money for a librarian anymore. We are really needed–and YOU are needed too, as are donations for postage, dictionaries and other expenses. Or donate a case of your favorite book.

Donations are tax-deductible thanks to our being adopted as a 501(c)3 ministry by the small All Saints Brighton Heights Episcopal Church, with free space and utilities donated by an even smaller church, Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church. Spring Grass Book’Em has been supported the previous three years by a very dedicated disabled veteran, a retired school teacher, and a senior citizen, but many prisoner’s book orders remain unfilled due to lack of postage. This is where YOU can make a difference! Please help us to help them; there’s so much more we could do if we had funding and decent equipment!